While on a visit to Saudi Arabia, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon urged that countries worldwide step up their efforts to combat terrorism. His call followed a meeting in Jeddah of the Advisory Board of the United Nations Centre for Counter Terrorism (UNCCT). The Center was created in September 2010 with the active support of the government of Saudi Arabia, and followed the adoption by the UN General Assembly in 2006 of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

The Secretary General said, “The need is eminently clear. Terrorism continues to affect all regions of the world. It has left a heavy toll of ruined lives and deferred hopes for peace and prosperity. But the world is fighting back against this menace.” The Secretary General also stressed the need for countries “to focus on realizing the four key areas of action of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy, which consist of tackling the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, preventing and combating terrorism, building States’ capacity to counter terrorism, and ensuring respect for human rights against the backdrop of the fight against terrorism.”

One area that the Secretary-General stressed was “suppressing the financing of terrorism,” which he views as “a critical areas where internationally accepted guidelines need to be effectively applied.” He went on, “At the strategic level, we need to understand – and counter – the appeal of terrorism. That means building a culture of dialogue, spreading education and promoting inter-community engagements.”